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Books Lately

It is book day once again!!! One of my favorite days of the month 🙂 I think I read more books this month than any other month ever!!! Let’s jump in, shall we? I am going to go ahead and give you a spoiler now…I loved all the books I read this month!

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

My love for Moriarty only grows deeper with each novel that I read. This book follows along a set of triplets in their 33rd year of life. There are ups and downs and laughs along the way. You really get to see what life is like as a multiple and see how different their personalities can be.

Bottom Line: Read it!!! I did this through audible. People complained about this narrator and while she is no Caroline Lee or Tamara Lovatt-Smith….once you get used to her it is completely fine and enjoyable.

Life’s a Beach (Hawaii Heat #1) by Jamie K Schmidt

Amelia uses her savings to plan a surprise Hawaii vacation for her and her boyfriend. At the last minute, her boss tells her she cant go and she gets fired. When she comes home to surprise him, she finds her boyfriend in bed with her favorite barista! She decides to take her fortune-telling aunt to Hawaii instead and instantly clicks with Dude. A stoner snorkel instructor, or so he portrays to her. Little does Amelia know that Dude is actually the super rich owner of the resort she is staying at. Will she still feel the same way once she realizes who Dude really is?

The only thing I didn’t like about this book is that I felt like the ending is a little rushed.

Bottom Line: Read it! If you are looking for a quick and hot love story with a focus on the hospitality business and Hawaii thrown in, this is for you!

*I was provided a copy of Life’s a Beach by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth

I was instantly drawn to this book when I read the synopsis. It is about Anna, who is 38 with Alzheimer’s and moves into an assisted living facility where almost exclusively, seniors live. She meets Luke, a 41 year old with a similar condition as her. Then there is Eve, the single mom who “wastes” her culinary skills to take a job at Rosalind House so that she can keep her daughter Clementine in the same school district. And poor Clementine. She is being bullied at school.

This book actually tells the story in first person from all three female characters: Anna, Eve and Clementine. It will tell you at the start of the chapter the view which you are reading from.

I actually deal with senior living facilities on a daily basis in my line of work, so that is what first inspired me to read this book. Alzheimer’s is one scary disease, if you have ever known anyone to have this…you know how hard it will inevitably be.

Favorite quote: “You don’t waste time with regrets. In the end, you just remember the moments of joy. When all is said and done, those are the things we keep.”

Bottom Line: Read it!! This book will pull a little at your heart strings and is a great reminder to enjoy the little moments.

*I was provided a copy of The Things We Keep by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling

I really loved listening to Mindy’s first book because it was like one long episode of the Mindy Project. Or like Mindy was riding along in my car telling me stories. This book was no different. I related to her when she talked about spending most of her life getting people to like her. I laughed through her beauty routine. And well, the way she described sorority’s and who she would cast in a movie about them was pretty spot on. Or at least for my school it was. I liked the stories she shared about a guy that she dated. And I related to her about some struggles of body image and eating.

I absolutely hated the fake emails of her being a teacher back in 2005. It was all made up, I didn’t understand the point and it went on a bit too long for my liking.

Bottom Line: If you liked the first book or The Mindy Project, then you would probably enjoy this book. I liked the first one better, but this one was still enjoyable to listen to.

Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan

Hot pocket! Even if you don’t know anything about Jim Gaffigan, you have had to have heard his hot pocket skit. If you haven’t, go you tube it and come back. I will wait…

Ok, now that you are laughing, you understand this book better!

In the first part of the book, Gaffigan talks about food around difference regions of the country. I had to relate to him on his feelings about things like oysters. I am not a fan. And his spill on grits? I died laughing. Grits = gross! He also talks about how we as a country have an unhealthy relationship with food. How we are constantly eating and how food is a social activity. Isn’t that the truth?

I listened to this book while doing Whole 30 and I gotta say, there were a few sections when I would have killed to have a burger, donut, cheesecake or just anything unhealthy. I was thinking…why???? Why did I listen to this when I can’t eat any of it? It was probably for the best! I laughed out loud more times than I could count.

Bottom Line: I find Jim Gaffigan’s comedic approach on food to be refreshing and enjoyable to listen to. We spend so much time on reading articles and watching documentaries on what not to do, it is nice to laugh about some of these problems.

The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty

I basically want to move to Scribbly Gum Island! Sophie Honeywell inherits a beautiful house from her ex almost fiance Thomas’s Aunt Connie when she passes away. Then there is the whole Monroe Baby mystery. What ever did happen to Alice and Jack?? When Sophie moves to the island, she gets closer with the whole family and realizes that she can create her own fairy tale ending.

I loved listening to this book. I love how much depth Moriarty gives her characters and this book goes deep.

Bottom Line: Loved this one, I would suggest reading it if you are a Moriarty fan!!

Taste by Tracy Ewens

I absolutely adored this book! You meet Kara, a US Senator’s daughter who is constantly in the spotlight of the media…and her critical mother’s eye. She has kept her true self so hidden from the world that she almost feels she has lost who she is. Somehow she became a food critic for an LA paper.

Then you have Logan Rye who grew up on a farm and has opened a trendy farm to table restaurant in LA.

Kara and Logan met in Paris back when they were in college. Logan knew Kara as Winnie Parker then and they had the perfect relationship blooming. That was until Kara’s parents sent someone to come bring her back home. Kara left Logan in Paris and broke both of their hearts.

Kara is now given the task of doing a three part write up on Logan’s new restaurant. Will their love be given a second chance?

This book was considered Women’s Fiction/Romance. This isn’t some fast pace romance book where the characters are constantly in bed. This is much more about the struggles these two have to overcome and in their relationship as well as with their own selves. This is a love story that builds and builds over time. So much so that I felt there was a spot or two where the book dragged a little, but it was more to build depth to these characters.

Bottom Line: If you love a book about second chances, then check this one out! I loved it!

*I was provided a copy of Taste: A Love Story by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Other books I read this month

Happy Cooking by Giada De Laurentiis

Currently Reading:

Stiff by Mary Roach via Audiobook

The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz William and Lauren Willig

I do have a question for those of you who are reading my book post today. What is your favorite format to read book reviews like this? Do you want a synopsis of what the book was about and my opinion…just my opinion. A few short lines about each? Just curious. For the books I review for Netgalley and Blogging for Books I need to go a little more in depth but for the books I read on my own I wasn’t sure what everyone prefers.

Read anything good lately?

Linking up with Steph and Jana!

February 9, 2016 by Nadine

book review, books, foodie, recipe

Happy Cooking

I just love Giada De Laurentiis so when I saw her cookbook, I knew I would have to have it. What I really think stands out about this cookbook compared to others out there is that it is more than recipes. You actually get to know Giada a little bit. There are pictures of her throughout the book and she is giving tips for different social situations and actual glimpses into her life. There are even pictures with her daughter.

The recipes are focused around clean, healthy eating which is perfect for me! Some are simple and anyone can make them, but there are a few more complex ones as well to practice your skills with. I like the balance that is offered.

One of my favorite tips is buying a really good whole grain loaf of bread and keeping it in the freezer and just pulling out a slice or two as needed versus a new loaf that you throw out every week because you only needed a few pieces.

Some of the recipes that I have my eye on are:

“Nutella” Milk
Mediterranean Chile Chicken Wings
Buffalo Grilled Shrimp with Goat Cheese Dipping Sauce
Brown Butter Tortellini
Cupcake Shake
Citrus Chile Acorn Squash

Tis the season for soups, so I wanted to share the Italian White Bean, Pancetta, and Tortellini Soup recipe from the book!

3 tbsp olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, chopped

3 large shallots, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

4 cups of Swiss chard (1 bunch trimmed)

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (9 ounce) package fresh cheese tortellini

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

In a large heave soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the pancetta, shallots, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until the pancetta is crisp, about 5 minutes.

Add the beans, Swiss chard, and broth. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the tortellini and cook for 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 4-6 – Packed with protein and filling enough to make a meal.

There is a great mix of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, cleansing drinks, fun shakes/smoothies and plenty of party hosting ideas too. Plus if you like photography, there are some great pictures of the food.

If you are in the market for a new cookbook, I would certainly give this one a look!

View more information about the book here.

Learn more about the author here.

**I received this book from Blogging for Books but all opinions are honest and of my own. **

January 18, 2016 by Nadine

book review, books

Books Lately

First things first, can I get a ROLL TIDE ROLL BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man oh man oh man what a game last night!!! I stood the entire forth quarter running in place in my living room I had so much balled up nervous energy. The team really came together and proved they deserved to be there. I haven’t seen a team so unified in a long time and I couldn’t be more proud of my boys. Even if I did yell at Coker a few times in the first half and basically woke up without a voice this morning. I am pretty sure all of Alabama yelled Roll Tide last night!!!

Now on to why you are really here, books!!!

The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty

Another Moriarty win for me! This time she gets me to question what I would do if I fell in love with someone who has a stalker. I found this book very interesting, not only for the actual story line but also to get a glimpse in to hypnotherapy and the view through a stalker’s eyes. This book was a little different than some of Moriarty’s other books that seem to have a three person pattern which Lauren pointed out to me. This one follows Ellen (the hypnotist) and Saskia (the stalker.)

Bottom Line: There isn’t a Moriarty book that I haven’t loved so far. This was a great read.

High-Yield Vegetable Gardening by Colin McCrate and Brad Halm

I have talked about wanting to start a garden and I am hoping 2016 is the year to make this happen! This book has great tips and goes into much detail on some very important aspects of gardening. Learn how to map out your garden, soiling, how to keep up with it, etc. There are useful charts that you can reference back to throughout the life of your garden.

Bottom Line: If you are looking to get in to gardening, then this is for you! I highly recommend getting a hard copy of this book. E-books are not the best for flipping back and forth!

*I was provided a copy of High-Yield Vegetable Gardening by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

When We Fall by Marquita Valentine

This happens to be book 2 in the Take the Fall series, but I found that I didn’t need the first book to enjoy this one. This is your typical good girl falls for the bad boy love story. The bad boy of course is trying to get his life back together and tries to distance himself from the good girl, but will he give in and allow himself to be loved? I enjoyed the tattoo parlor scenes and the social work thrown in to the mix. It made for some interesting reading.

Bottom Line: This was a quick and easy read for me. I enjoyed the characters and story. It was your basic good girl bad boy formula. Nothing mind blowing, but it passed the time just fine and I would recommend it.

*I was provided a copy of When We Fall by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Rolling in the Deep by Rebecca Rogers Maher

When I read the description of this book, I thought hmmmm what would I do if I won the lottery??? (Which funny enough is such a relevant topic today with that huge pot up for grabs!!!) Holly is a single mom working a minimum wage job and down on her luck. When her co-worker Ray suggests that they split a lottery ticket, she just hands over her $1 bill and doesn’t think much of it. Their luck changes when they realize they have the winning ticket!!! Things start to spark up between them, but then there are lawyers and media and exes trying to get in the way.

Bottom Line: I really enjoyed this book because it is a different plot line. I liked how raw Ray is in this book. I like that it isn’t just rainbows and butterflies because they won the lottery. It shows the full picture of how it can change your life. I would recommend it.

*I was provided a copy of Rolling in the Deep by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Death Before Decaf by Caroline Fardig

This book was suggested to me because I like Janet Evanovich. I can totally see why after reading it. You have the frustrating love triangle between the leading lady (Juliet) and her two men…the guy she has know for awhile, the “safe choice” (Pete) and the mysterious bad ass that she knows is wrong but desires anyway (Seth.) Juliet moves back to Nashville to help manage Pete’s coffee shop after learning that her fiance is a lying asshole who took off with all of her money. On her first day, she find’s her new employee Dave’s body in a dumpster. She is the only suspect the police have so she needs to find other suspects to take the heat off her.

Bottom Line: This was a fun read and I recommend it if you like the Stephanie Plum series!

*I was provided a copy of Death Before Decaf by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Current Reads:

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty on audio book

Life’s a Beach (Hawaii Heat book 1) by Jamie Schmidt

January 12, 2016 by Nadine

book review, books, health

The Longevity Kitchen

Most of you know by now that I am fairly health conscious through the week. Of course, my weekend shenanigans posts will tell a different story. Hello food porn! But in general, over the last few years I have been much more aware of the types of foods I am putting in my mouth, the cleaners that I use have less to no chemicals now and I have been slowly converting my rubbermaid containers to glass.

I believe that what you eat can dictate how you look and feel. The healthier I eat, the better my body feels. Simple enough. But did you also know that certain foods can help different areas of your body function better? When I read about The Longevity Kitchen, I instantly thought about Chris. He suffers from chronic back pain and inflammation. He also has to watch his blood pressure. I suffer from asthma, can have a crappy immune system at times and I have to keep my sweet tooth in check. We both have pretty bad allergies.

The Longevity Kitchen has 125 recipes using the top 16 foods proven to fight the most chronic conditions. There are menu plans that you can follow for your main concerns. I plan on incorporating these 16 power foods in our weekly rotations to see if there is going to be any improvements. I am really excited to try out some of these recipes. I have my eyes on:

Gluten-Free Blueberry Mini Muffins
Bento Box Soup
Minted Guacamole with Pomegranate Seeds
Yogurt Berry Brulee with Maple Almond Brittle
Insanely Good Chocolate Brownies (that have no added sugar and use almond flour!!!!)

There are also lots of recipes for different marinades, dressings, sauces and even directions for how to make your own almond flour!

What I really love about this book? It is more than just a cookbook. At the beginning, there are a few chapters talking about the science behind the foods we eat. It goes in to length about the main functions of our bodies and why certain foods are important. There is even a culinary pharmacy section that breaks down certain foods and tells you beneficial facts of each food. Like did you know that almonds are antioxidant, blood sugar regulators and help with heart health? Or that coconut milk/oil is an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and supports bone health.

Before the recipes start, there is a break down to tell you what pages to look for what ails you. Immune boosters, stress reducers, mind enhancers, blood sugar regulators, flexibility promoters, liver boosters, heart strengtheners, skin enrichers, and LDL cholesterol reducers.

If you have a certain condition that you would like to try to treat naturally, I would check this book out! Or even if you just want to make sure you are incorporating healthy foods in to your daily diet.

Read more about the author, Rebecca Katz here.

To see more information on this book, go here.

Add this book to your Goodreads list.

Have you considered changing your diet to help with any health problems you’ve been experiencing?

**I received this book from Blogging for Books but all opinions are honest and of my own. **

December 14, 2015 by Nadine

book review, books

Books Lately

The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin

First of all, this book takes place around Christmas time!!! YES!!!! When I read the synopsis, I felt like the book sort of had the same premise of The Holiday. I just adored that movie. A lot of the characters that are in the gingerbread cafe series are in this book. You don’t have to have read those books to appreciate this one (I didn’t). This is actually the first book in Rebecca Raisin’s Paris series.

I really loved how Sarah owned a bookshop and how she describes her books as her babies. How she can hear her books speak to her. You really felt like you were in her little shop! And her descriptions of Paris made me want to visit there!!! This would be a great read for the travel lover. Sarah has a bit of a struggle adapting to the faster pace environment of Paris, and is homesick being away from her friends and little town. The book store keeps her busy but she starts to settle in and really experience the City of Love. Getting to see Paris through Sarah’s eyes was so much fun!

After reading about all the sites, shops and food around Paris…I am ready for my visit!! If you are in the mood for a light, heart warming read, this book is for you! It was so cute.

Bottom Line: This is my second Rebecca Raisin book, and I really enjoy her as an author. I highly recommend this book to people who just love books, love to travel or just want a warm and fuzzy read. Especially one that is holiday themed!

*I was provided a copy of The Little Bookshop on the Seine by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

I read and loved The Husband’s Secret and Big Little Lie’s last month, so I wanted to keep binging on my love for Liane Moriarty. What Alice Forgot was such an amazing read! I think it is my new favorite from Moriarty. I liked that you learn about Alice’s life through some of her memories, but more so through Elizabeth’s letters to her psychiatrist and Frannie’s letters to her fiance. This book really made me think about what would happen if I lost 10 years of my life. I share snippets here on this blog, but it has me wondering if I should start keeping a journal as well.

This book also has me thinking about relationships. Not just my relationship with my husband…but my family and friends as well. Every relationship we have has it’s ups and downs, and as long as your good memories out weigh the bad, then shouldn’t it be considered a success? It made me think about the little things that we can get caught up on that in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t matter. It also made me think about myself as a teenager and twenty something. What would my younger self think of my current self? Would she be proud?

Bottom Line: This was a great book! I did this via audiobook like I did the other two by Liane Moriarty. I highly recommend this author!

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

I did this via audiobook, and loved that Aziz is the one to read it. He cracks me up! This book is more than just a funny comedy. There is actual research, study groups, etc that is shared to discuss how people meet and get in to relationships. It was stated that in 2010 25% of people met online. It was cool that Aziz actually mentions OKCupid. Chris and I can be a statistic that was married off from that site! Of course, this is much more common now than it even was then. It still felt like people shamed online relationships back then.

Bottom Line: This is a great read. Not only do you laugh, but you might learn a thing or two. Or at least be able to spit out some new statistics in a conversation!

Inconceivable by Cherrie Mack

Inconceivable is sort of a modern day Cinderella story. You had the poor girl, the rich step sister, a fairy godmother and an evil step mom. But with a twist! Because the fairy godmother was a good looking guy with tattoos. Allie was given a little black box after her step father passed away. When she opens it, she doesn’t realize how her life is about to be changed. The little black box is supposed to be passed on, so this sets up for a series of books based on what is inside the little black box!

The moral of the story: You might not always need what you think you you want.

Bottom Line: This was a cute twist on Cinderella that I finished in the matter of just a few hours. I enjoyed it well enough to pass the time. It wasn’t mind blowing by any means, but I enjoyed it.

*I was provided a copy of Inconceivable by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Currently Reading:

When We Fall by Marquita Valentine and listening to The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty.

Read any good books lately?

December 8, 2015 by Nadine

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